The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is assisting the Government of Punjab to build sustainable and livable mid-level cities by upgrading basic infrastructure and services. This includes, according to an ADB handout, Sialkot — a thriving business hub known for manufacturing footballs and high-quality surgical instruments. ADB’s support for urban development is helping boost Sialkot’s competitiveness, […]
FIFA
High stakes for Qatar as World Cup starts
DOHA: The Worl Cup kicks off in Qatar on Sunday in a high-stakes event for the tiny nation which has faced a barrage of criticism and staked its reputation on delivering a smooth tournament, the first held in the Middle East. The opening ceremony in a tent-shaped stadium will be held at 1440 GMT, ahead of the […]
FIFA President Infantino lambasts World Cup ‘hypocrites’
DOHA: FIFA president Gianni Infantino blasted the “hypocrisy” of Western critics of Qatar’s human rights record on Saturday, making a passionate defence of the World Cup in the Gulf state on the eve of the kick-off. The build-up to the tournament has been dominated by concerns over Qatar’s treatment of migrant workers, women and the […]
Qatar World Cup ambassador says homosexuality is ‘damage in the mind’
A Qatar World Cup ambassador has told German television broadcaster ZDF that homosexuality was “damage in the mind”, as the Gulf state prepares to host the global tournament in less than two weeks. In an interview filmed in Doha and to be screened later on Tuesday, former Qatari international Khalid Salman addressed the issue of […]
FIFA World Cup 2022: Pakistani truck artists paint mural in Doha
A team from Pakistan painted mural in Doha, Qatar which is on diplay at Doha Museum ahead of FIFA World Cup. The group Phool Patti led by Ali Salman Anchan completed painting the mural after two weeks. Phool Patti was invited to Qatar as part of an official partnership with the Qatar Museum for its […]
Trio of female referees set for World Cup history
The approaching men’s World Cup will be the first to feature female referees, with three women set to make history in Qatar while hoping that the focus remains on their job rather than their gender. France’s Stephanie Frappart, Rwanda’s Salima Mukansanga and Japan’s Yoshimi Yamashita were included in the list of 36 referees selected by FIFA, while three […]
Qatar’s ‘carbon neutral’ claims under fire
Qatar’s ‘carbon neutral’ claims under fire. Organizers have promised a carbon-neutral World Cup next month in Qatar but environmental groups are warning that the tournament will be far more polluting than advertised. Hassan al-Thawadi, secretary general of Qatar 2022, said organizers will achieve net-zero emissions for the tournament as a whole “by measuring, mitigating and […]
World Cup boom pushes some Qatar residents out of homes
World Cup boom pushes some Qatar residents out of homes. Qatari landlords eyeing profit from the looming World Cup have been kicking out a growing number of mostly foreign tenants, sometimes with just a few days’ notice. More than one million football fans are expected to descend on the capital Doha during the November-December tournament, […]
Seventeen children among the dead in Indonesian soccer stampede
Seventeen children were among at least 125 people killed in a soccer stampede in Indonesia at the weekend, officials said, as pressure builds on the Southeast Asian nation to explain how one of the world’s worst stadium disasters unfolded. Violence and hooliganism have long been features of Indonesian football, especially in places such as Jakarta, […]
Turkey sending 3,000 police to Qatar to help secure World Cup
Turkey sending 3000 police to Qatar to help secure World Cup. Turkey will send more than 3,000 riot police to Qatar to help secure World Cup stadiums and hotels in a security operation paid for by the competition hosts but under Turkish command, a Turkish Interior Ministry source said. With a population of less than […]